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Pothole problem 'reaching crisis point'

If there were further cuts in maintenance funds or a severe winter "the impact on our already crumbling roads could be catastrophic" said a local government transport chief.

The Local Government Association (LGA), concerned at Government cuts and the current state of the roads, is now calling on Whitehall to free up money and invest it in resurfacing the current network.

The LGA said decades of underfunding, recent severe winters and widespread flooding earlier this year, "compounded by the current Government cutting £500 million from roads maintenance budgets, means many councils are struggling to move beyond simply patching up a deteriorating network".

The authority added that should councils be stripped of even more funding in next month's Autumn Statement, many will find it nearly impossible to keep on top of road repairs.

The LGA said the issue would become critical should there be another harsh winter similar to 2010/11 which caused £600 million of road damage.

Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the LGA's economy and Transport Board, said: "For decades Whitehall funding for repairs has not kept pace with demand. Damage caused by severe winters and widespread flooding has compounded this deterioration and councils are now contending with massive cuts to roads maintenance funding and millions of pounds in compensation payouts for pothole damage."

The LGA said the Department for Transport was reducing the highways maintenance budget it gives councils by £442 million over the period 2009 to 2014.

It said that by 2014/15 councils will get £164 million a year less than in 2010/11, a 19% drop.

AA president Edmund King said: "We are extremely concerned about this warning. Potholes are a scourge for all road users, whatever means of transport they are using.

He went on: "In April, the Government published its pothole review report Prevention - And a Better Cure [but] evidence suggests that not enough prevention is going on due to restricted budgets.

“We need both good practice and adequate long-term, ring-fenced funding to rid us of these damaging defects. If our waterlogged roads suffer heavy freezing this winter, the situation will go from bad to worse."

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Despite the economic challenges we are facing, this Government is providing more than £3 billion to councils across England for road maintenance between 2011 and 2015, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining our existing transport infrastructure.”